“It’s no secret we are besieged with the flow of drugs from Latin America to the United States,” he said. The Coast Guard now stops its pursuit and alerts Mexican authorities if suspicious boats cross into their territorial waters. Treaties with nations such as Colombia have allowed U.S. authorities more latitude, such as permitting Coast Guard officers to board Colombian-flagged ships. The Coast Guard has been criticized for holding suspects on ships where they cannot easily access lawyers. Shirk said joint operations could lead “to serious violations of suspects’ rights at sea and possible human rights violations in the process.”Coast Guard officials say they respect suspects’ rights.

Source: thestar March 29, 2018 21:33 UTC